MSU’s ‘Fascination of Plants Day’ Tied to International Initiative

Thirty Michigan State University volunteers – grad students, post-docs and faculty – from the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Plant Biology, Horticulture, and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences recently hosted a Fascination of Plants Day.

The MSU event was part of a worldwide initiative by the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) to promote the importance of plant sciences for agriculture, forestry, non-food products (paper, timber, chemicals, and energy) and pharmaceuticals. Hundreds of similar events took place in late May in more than 50 countries.

Open to the public, MSU’s exhibition was called “From Seed to Fruit,” and allowed visitors to explore the world of plants and algae, including hands-on activities for children and adults.

The idea originated with Bjoern Hamberger, assistant professor,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who had participated in a similar event at his former lab in Copenhagen. Anne-Sophie Bohrer-Cognon andAparajita Banerjee, both post-doctoral students in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, were event coordinators.